Monday, September 10, 2012

If Cupcake Wars Comes Calling...

In between football games and school work, I spent some of this weekend catching up on my recorded episodes of Cupcake Wars. If you haven't seen the show, bakers go head to head to make the tastiest and prettiest cupcakes. The catch: there is a prescribed theme (a.k.a. "the big event" where the cupcakes are to be front and center) and a mishmash of mystery ingredients (some of which are inevitably strange). Judges include the original cupcake queen Candace Nelson, discriminating French pastry chef Florian Bellanger, and a rotating guest specific to "the big event." Zany host Justin Willman keeps time and makes wonderfully horrible jokes.

As with all such competitions, there are borderline absurd time limitations for each round. Ingredients go flying (or are forgotten altogether). Drama and wackiness ensue. The winner gets to attend "the big event," cupcakes and tricked out display in tow. He or she also gets to take home $10,000.

Since its debut, I've been watching the show pretty faithfully. I know, for example, that Florian hates artificial extracts and is rarely impressed by red velvet. Candace always far a clever turn of phrase for her critique. What I haven't done, however, is think that I should be on the show in earnest.

Well, well, well... whaddaya know? A quick google search reveals that Cupcake Wars is casting. My credentials have been submitted and I shall wait with bated breath for the phone to ring. Okay, not bated breath. I do have a cake business, a blog, a graduate class, a hokey notion of running a 5K, and (oh yeah) a day job. But still... I'll definitely be answering if they come calling.

In the meantime, I've given myself the following to-do list:

Figure out exactly how much cayenne should go into a spicy chocolate cake batter.

Buy a fun apron so I can look super cute (but professional) on camera.